Fire

​Although concrete doesn't burn, it can "spall" when subjected to extreme heat – this means that surface layers of the material break off, potentially causing structures made of it to collapse. According to a new study, however, fibers obtained from discarded tires can help keep that from happening.

​It was just this Wednesday that we heard about a non-toxic flame-retardant solution created by scientists at Texas A and M University. Well, researchers at Switzerland's Empa institute have also come up with one, which could be used to keep wood and wood-based building materials from burning.

Advanced scientific instruments in orbit around the planet have given us the ability to track its stocks of groundwater resources, which researchers are now figuring out how to tap into to build more accurate predictions of drought and the risks that it brings months in advance.​

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, but there's a new breed of camping stove that is pretty good at hiding the telltale signs. The Solo Stove Yukon is a clean-burning fire pit that uses an air flow system to keep smoke to a minimum, making for flames that can be enjoyed from all angles.​

​Three years ago we heard about the SkySaver, a rescue backpack that lets you descend from a burning high-rise via an integrated reel of steel cable. Well, now it's in for some competition from the SkySpider, which offers at least one unique feature.

​Rosenbauer, Linz AG and Kreisel Electric have revealed the first fully-equipped electric fire truck in Europe. Based on a Mercedes Sprinter, the electric drive tactical vehicle will join the fleet of a fire brigade stationed in the Austrian city of Linz.​

Various multi-tools out there have fire-starting capabilities, but not the classic Swiss Army knife. The new Firefly from Tortoise Gear swaps in for the Swiss Army toothpick and works with various traditional implements to spark a fire.

BioLite has previously given campers nifty new ways to keep their gadget charged up, their fingers warm and the smoke out of their eyes. Now it is taking aim at the backyard fire pit, with a wood-burning device that uses an intricate air injection system to keep smoke to a minimum.​

​​Perhaps one of the biggest things that people obsess over after leaving their house is, "Did I leave the oven burner on?". Well, if they had the Inirv React system in their kitchen, they could check on their smartphone. If it turned out that a burner was on, they could then remotely turn it off.

Stanford scientists have found that by building a flame retardant into a battery that releases itself when things start to heat up, they can avert the dangers of flammable lithium-ion batteries in the laboratory.